Fears of looming crisis may have enveloped the ancient city of Ogbomosho in Oyo State, as the controversy between Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Pastor Ghandi Olaoye Orumogege III, and the Muslim community deepens over an alleged imposition of Imam.
 
Worried by the heightened tense in the city, the Ogbomoso Muslim Community has called on necessary authorities to take immediate action to rein in the monarch and restore peace and stability to the community.
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The group, in a statement signed by its chairman, Alhaji Akintoye AbdusSalam Olla, alleged that the controversy, fueled by a disputed imamship, has seen the monarch attempting to remove the widely respected Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomosoland, Dr. Teliat Yunus Ayilara II, despite two court injunctions restraining such action.
 
He said: “The palace’s continued intimidation and violence have escalated the situation, with reports of plans to hijack the Central Mosque using military force; forcefully remove the Grand Chief Imam and the use of the old Eid praying ground as a makeshift mosque for the newly turbaned ‘Palace Imam’, sparking anarchy”.
 
Recall that the traditional ruler had recently turbaned a rival ‘Palace Imam’, even when there was no mosque in the palace.
 
Olla said the traditional ruler has also refused to yield the advice by family dissidents to approach the Court of Law to prove their allegations.
He alleged that that the king has been “encouraging rebellion and making the palace available as a studio of sorts for recording provocative videos and casting aspersions on the personality of the Grand Chief Imam, Dr. Teliat Yunus, in flagrant disregard to the peace agreement facilitated by the Chairman, Ogbomoso North Local Council and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters which advocated maintaining status quo.”
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Olla also alleged that the monarch mobilised palace chiefs, with his paraphernalia, as his representatives to a parallel Eid ground during Eidul Fitr celebration in open disdain to the gentleman agreement not to hold parallel ‘Eid prayer reached at the residence of Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland Edo and Delta state State Alhaji Daud Makanjuola Akinola, in the presence of the Deputy Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal and all heads of security agencies in Oyo State.
 
He also bemoaned a situation whereby the monarch was issuing baseless queries to the Imam for attending Hajj without his ‘permission’.
 
Olla said the traditional ruler was seeing making an inflammatory speech, revealing a grand plot to oust the Grand Chief Imam Dr. Teliat Yunus and undermine Islam in Ogbomoso.
 
Noting that the Muslim community is increasingly agitated, and community elders are making efforts to maintain peace, he said the followership of the Grand Chief Imam transcends all boundaries, making this a potential national security issue requiring swift attention.
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